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Abstract AIMS: This work aims at testing for the association of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) among Egyptian women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Participants were 70 cases having a history of two or more events of unexplained RPL and 136 controls with a good obstetric history. Detection of MTHFR C677T and A1298C mutations was done by polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphisms assay using restriction enzymes HinfI and MboII respectively. RESULTS: Compared with controls, cases with unexplained pregnancy loss showed higher frequency of the homozygous mutant MTHFR 677 TT, 1298 CC genotypes, and the mutant haplotype 677T/1298C, although not reaching statistical significance. The frequency of 677 mutant genotypes (TT or TC) combined with either the mutant 1298 (CC or AC) or normal 1298 (AA) genotypes was significantly increased among cases with late-stage pregnancy loss versus those with early-stage pregnancy loss (p=0.001). There was also increased frequency of the 677 mutant genotypes among cases with secondary infertility compared with those with primary infertility and among cases with pregnancy loss >4 times compared with those with ≤4 times but with no statistical significance. Regarding other risk factors, it was noted that the frequency of mutations among cases with no or just one risk factor did not differ significantly from those having two or more risk factors (p=0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Mutations related to the MTHFR gene are increased but not statistically significant in Egyptian women with unexplained pregnancy loss. Interaction with other genetic variants might be speculated and need to be investigated.

Yosef YardenClassically, the 3âuntranslated region (3âUTR) is that region in eukaryotic protein-coding genes from the translation termination codon to the polyA signal. It is transcribed as an integral part of the mRNA encoded by the gene. However, there exists another kind of RNA, which consists of the 3âUTR alone, without all other elements in mRNA such as 5âUTR and coding region. The importance of independent 3âUTR RNA (referred as I3âUTR) was prompted by results of artificially introducing such RNA species into malignant mammalian cells. Since 1991, we found that the middle part of the 3âUTR of the human nuclear factor for interleukin-6 (NF-IL6) or C/EBP gene exerted tumor suppression effect in vivo. Our subsequent studies showed that transfection of C/EBP 3âUTR led to down-regulation of several genes favorable for malignancy and to up-regulation of some genes favorable for phenotypic reversion. Also, it was shown that the sequences near the termini of the C/EBP 3âUTR were important for its tumor suppression activity. Then, the C/EBP 3âUTR was found to directly inhibit the phosphorylation activity of protein kinase CPKC in SMMC-7721, a hepatocarcinoma cell line. Recently, an AU-rich region in the C/EBP 3âUTR was found also to be responsible for its tumor suppression. Recently we have also found evidence that the independent C/EBP 3âUTR RNA is actually exists in human tissues, such as fetal liver and heart, pregnant uterus, senescent fibroblasts etc. Through 1990âs to 2000âs, world scientists found several 3âUTR RNAs that functioned as artificial independent RNAs in cancer cells and resulted in tumor suppression. Interestingly, majority of genes for these RNAs have promoter-like structures in their 3âUTR regions, although the existence of their transcribed products as independent 3âUTR RNAs is still to be confirmed. Our studies indicate that the independent 3âUTR RNA is a novel non-coding RNA species whose function should be the regulation not of the expression of their original mRNA, but of some essential life activities of the cell as a whole.PPT Version | PDF Version